Brighton Biba Exhibition

First week back at University after the Christmas holidays. Always a gloomy time; the weathers bleak, lectures talking about the new workload and Easter feels like a million miles away. Luckily, for our course, our lecturers arranged a trip to Brighton to see the Biba Exhibition.
Barbara Hulanicki began Biba as a postal order company in the early 1960's. It was affordable with young looking designs. Her illustrations became iconic for the brand as it moved from mail order into it's first store in Kensington.
In just ten years they had moved to their forth and largest store. Christened "Big Biba" it was a seven story department store which housed a cinema, beauty salon and home-wares. Biba created a lifestyle for the fashion forward young woman on limited budgets. Hulanicki created styles based upon art deco and hollywood glamour.
Here's some photos from the exhibition:

 I especially love all of the illustrations that Barbara has created both past and present. The details are amazing, the long limbs and large eyes epitomising the 1960s. My Grandma used to draw fashion illustrations similar to Hulanicki's. Her's are also in pen and are so precise and beautiful. She did have a place at Central St Martins but unfortunately, due to the war, she was never able to take up her place. Hopefully one day I'll scan them in to put on my blog.